Welcome!
Last Updated November 2007
I hope to use this blog so that you can get to know me better and know what's going on around my home and on my web sites. To start off, I'd like to introduce you to myself and my family.
My name is Rachel, and I am 37 years old. I have been married to Dave (38) for 11 years. We have a 20-yr-old daughter (Amanda), a 18-yr-old step-daughter (Keisha), and twin 2-yr-old sons Zachary and Christian.
I have been writing and publishing for about 10 years now. CreativeHomemaking.com has been online in some form since 1996, and Crafty-Moms.com, Frugal-Home-Decor.com, and Christian-Parent.com were "born" in the years since then, as CreativeHomemaking.com outgrew itself and needed to expand to more dedicated web sites.
My hobbies include scrapbooking, reading, writing, church activities, and spending time with family (and someday soon, I hope, homeschooling!).
Blessings,
Rachel Paxton
Editor/Publisher
CreativeHomemaking.com
Rachel on 10.05.04 @ 05:19 PM CST [link]
Wednesday, August 15th
Let's Go Fly a Kite
A couple of months ago my sister and parents came to visit. We were looking for something to do with the boys, and it was a windy day, so we decided to take the boys and their kites to the park. The boys had a blast flying their kites. Everyone else had fun too! I took a lot of great pictures that day and created a neat scrapbook page layout to preserve the fond memories:
http://www.crafty-moms.com/scrapbooking/kite-flying-layout.shtml
(Grandma found the kites at the Dollar Store! They have the Backyardigans on them and they work great. The boys love them.)
Rachel Paxton
Editor/Publisher
CreativeHomemaking.com
Rachel on 08.15.07 @ 11:28 PM CST [link]
Airplane and Auto Themed Boys' Bedroom
I recently finished decorating our boys' bedroom. The baby decor is all gone...I had to come up with a boy's theme that was suitable for toddlers yet my boys wouldn't grow out of in the near future.
Fortunately, both boys love anything with an engine in it, especially trucks, cars, and airplanes. This decorating theme started with a paint-by-number wall mural, and after a few months of doing some looking around the room finally came together:
http://www.creativehomemaking.com/home_decorating/autos-and-airplanes.shtml
Rachel Paxton
Editor/Publisher
CreativeHomemaking.com
Rachel on 08.15.07 @ 11:23 PM CST [link]
Tuscan Themed Decorating
Ever since we moved to our new home (about a year ago), I have been trying to come up with a decorating theme for our family room and master bedroom. With the style of our house and existing room paint colors, a Tuscan theme seemed a natural fit. I have been pleasantly surprised with the results--even my husband likes it! And it all started with a wall tapestry:
http://www.creativehomemaking.com/home_decorating/tuscan-decor.shtml
Rachel Paxton
Editor/Publisher
CreativeHomemaking.com
Rachel on 08.15.07 @ 11:19 PM CST [link]
Pond in a Container
My husband has been wanting to create a pond in our backyard. Looking at all the time and $$$ involved, we have held off starting any projects of this size. We came up with a great compromise, however...a pond in a container! If you can find a nice clay pot on sale, this pond in a container really adds a lot of character to your patio:
http://www.creativehomemaking.com/gardening/pond-container.shtml
Rachel Paxton
Editor/Publisher
CreativeHomemaking.com
Rachel on 08.15.07 @ 11:15 PM CST [link]
Dinners Toddlers Will Eat
Our toddlers are going through the picky eater stage. Actually one of my boys is a pretty good eater, I can't complain. My other son, however, can be very particular about his food. It's hard finding dinners everyone will eat. I finally found some dinners the whole family likes--hopefully your family will enjoy them too:
http://www.creativehomemaking.com/cooking/toddler-dinners.shtml
Rachel Paxton
Editor/Publisher
CreativeHomemaking.com
Rachel on 08.15.07 @ 11:12 PM CST [link]
Adjustable Waistbands in Toddler Jeans
No one has ever told me about adjustable waistbands in kids' pants. They are so cool! I have to admit I tend to be a Walmart shopper, and I haven't seen these adjustable waistbands in Walmart clothing.
My husband and I were looking at kids' clothing at Sears and they had toddler Levi's on sale. I hate buying pants and jeans for my boys because I never know if they are going to fit. Then I noticed these Levi's had adjustable waistbands. There are a couple of buttons sewn into the inside of the waistband and elastic that attaches to the buttons and that "retracts" into the waistband. No more worrying about if the waist will fit! Our boys wear the same size jeans, but they have different sized waists. Pants that will fit one boy fall off the other one because he has a tiny waist. With these adjustable waistbands I can buy the same jeans for both of them and adjust them for each boy. They're so great.
We also found these waistbands in jeans we bought at The Children's Place. I don't normally shop there, either, but they had really cute toddler jeans 2 for $22.
Rachel Paxton
Editor/Publisher
CreativeHomemaking.com
Rachel on 08.15.07 @ 11:09 PM CST [link]
